DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Abstract) In keeping with the NIDA goal of attracting students to the sciences and developing a scientifically literate public, the proposed project, "Medicinal Mysteries from History" will offer a resource site on the World Wide Web, rich in both the science and history of opioids, utilizing a case-based interactive learning approach, and accessible to both middle school science classes and to the general public. This approach will allow students with differing learning styles to address the same materials and build their knowledge about health and neuroscience. At the same time, it will reflect the collaborative processes inherent in scientific research and the development of public policy and perhaps more importantly, it will exploit the powerful and forward-looking dissemination mechanism afforded by electronic media rather than more traditional print distribution. Using case histories, the multimedia site will engage students in solving a mystery from many angles: discovery of a substance for pain management, development of public health policy, establishment of standard medical procedures and assessment of social consequences. The project will be implemented in four phases: develop case histories of medical discovery and public policy related to opioids, create multimedia versions of these cases, disseminate Medicinal Mysteries from History over the Internet, and assess the impact of Medicinal Mysteries from History on teaching and learning about science. An experienced team representing medicine, pharmacology, neurobiology, history of science, education, and information technology will oversee the project from start to finish, assuring the integrity of the site content, and incorporating cutting edge collaborative technology. A process of iterative prototyping, focusing heavily on teachers and students will be employed to make the resource site exciting, educational, and useful in the classroom. The field tests will be conducted in schools which reflect a cross-section of the community, assuring appropriate presentation of materials to target populations.